Pounder washing-machine



(No Model.)

C. F. RIGBY.

POUNDER WASHING MACHINE.

No. 328,811. Patented Oct. 20, 1885.

gust large enough to hold a sufficient quantity Farmer @rrrcn.

CLARK F. RIGBY, OF BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

PQUNDER WASHING-MACHINE.

Application filed October 16, 1884.

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, G. F. BIGBY, of Bradford, in the county of McKean and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pounder WVashing- Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in pounder washing-maohines; and it consists, first, in the combination of a suitable supporting-frame, a spring which is attached to the frame, a pounder which is attached to the lower end of the spring, and which is provided with a reservoir to hold the water or other counterweight to the spring; second, the combination of the tub, the supportingframe, the spring, and the pounder provided with a waterspace, and valved air-tubes.

The object of my invention is to provide a pounder washing-machine, which is sus pended from a spring and then weighted in such a manner as to just counterbalance the tension of the spring, for the purpose of enabling the pounder to be more readily and easily operated, and which is provided with valved tubes which prevent the air from passing out when the pounder strikes the clothes, but allow the air to pass into the pounder when it is raised upward.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention, partly in section. Fig. 2 shows a pounder made of wire.

A represents an ordinary washing-tub, to which is attached in any suitable manner a supporting-frame, B. To the middle of this frame B, at its top, is attached aspiral spring, 0, to the lower end of which spring is attached aelothes-pounder, D. In this pounder is formed a suitable receptacle, F, of any desired size, which is to be filled with water or any similar counter-weight for the purpose of overcoming the tension of the spring 0. The water is poured into this receptacle through a small tube, E, at the upper end of the re ceptacle, as shown. This receptacle is made CIFIIJAEIOET forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,811, dated October 20, 1885 Serial No.145,686. (N0 model.)

of water to stretch the spring sufficiently to allow the pounder to be operated freely up and down. By means of this construction the pounder is suspended and balanced so evenly that the operator can give it the required motion with but very little exertion. \Vhere the pounder is simply suspended by a spring, and is not balanced by a counter-weight, the tension of the spring must be overcome in working the pounder, and thus apowerful exertion is required in forcing the pounder downward, for the tension of the spring has to be overcome. By my construction the tension of the spring is overcome by the counter-weight, and the pounder is left free to vibrate freely up and down.

The bottom of the receptacle for the water forms a partition, H, which extends across the bottom of the pounder at any suitable distance from its lower edge, and through this partition and the sides of the receptacle are passed the air-pipes I, the upper ends of which are turned downward, as shown. In each of these pipes is placed a spring-valve, J, which closes as the pounder descends, so as to prevent the escape of the air. The upper ends of the pipes are turned downward, so that water which may be forced up through them will be deflected downward upon the water in the tub, and thus not annoy or inconvenience the operator by having it forced outward.

Across the lower end of the pounder are placed a suitable number of wires, 0, which serve to prevent the clothes from adhering to the lower end of the pounder, as they otherwise would do. In the bottom of the tub is also placed a wire frame or screen, which serves to hold the clothes a suitable distance above the top of the bottom of the tub for the purpose of allowing the air and water to be forced freely through them. As the pounder descends and strikes the top of the water, the upward splash of the water is prevented by means of a flange, I which is secured to the outer side of the pounder, as shown. Vhen the frame of the pounder is made of wire, as shown in Fig. 2, no valved pipes are used.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of the tub and support- ICO ing-frame with the spring, and the pounder, In testimony whereof I affix my signature in provided with a receptacle for water or a presence of two witnesses. counter-weight, as shown.

2. In a pounder washing-machine, the com 5 bination of the tub, the supporting-frame, the

spring, and the pounder, provided with a weter-space and valved air tubes, substantially as set forth.

CLARK F. RIGBY.

\Vitnesses:

D. H. J AOK, CHARLES MORROW. 

